Getty Images Jenson Button is hoping for rain in this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix to level up the playing field as he struggles with the new McLaren.
The closest Button came to the top of the times sheets in Melbourne last weekend was during the wet Q2 session.
But in dry conditions on race day the inferiority of the MP4-28 told. The three-time winner of the Australian Grand Prix he could only finish ninth.
“For this weekend, I don’t think we can expect an improvement in our fortunes,” said Button.
“But the thing about Malaysia is that it can be so unpredictable – particularly with the later start time on Sunday afternoon, which tends to see late-afternoon showers fall. We saw that last year, when Fernando [Alonso] won, and we know that the unpredictable weather can make it a lottery for everyone.”
“That’s something that could play into our hands – I do enjoy driving in changeable conditions, and would love the challenge of being able to run competitively in a car that we all know is not quite capable of challenging for victories yet.”
Team mate Sergio Perez produced a breakthrough performance for Sauber in last year’s Malaysian Grand Prix, finishing second, right on Alonso’s tail.
“For me, Sepang holds many happy memories,” he said. “I had one of the best races of my career there last year where I was able to push Fernando for victory until the closing laps.”
“It’s a fantastic circuit, really fast and demanding. It would be great to pull off another unexpected result for the team this year.”
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Red Bull Racing may be defending a winning streak at Monaco that stretches back to 2010, but their pace in the Thursday practice sessions has failed to suggest that a fourth consecutive win may be on the cards. However, both Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber have both downplayed the results, taking the positives out of…
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The streets of Monte Carlo welcome Formula One for its annual event, attracting the rich and famous from all over the globe for the sport’s jewel in the crown: the Monaco Grand Prix. It is the ultimate test of a driver’s talent behind the wheel and his mental agility, requiring 78 laps of near-perfect precision;…
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Reuters
What comes to mind first when you think of the Monaco Grand Prix? Money, perhaps? You can’t really blamed for that thought. Formula One’s stature as a billion-dollar enterprise enables it to fit in perfectly with the sophisticated surroundings of Monte Carlo. Or maybe it’s the massive amount of star power that comes in for…
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Reuters
Ever since its creation in 1929 on the streets of Monte Carlo, the Monaco Grand Prix has rewarded the best of the best. The list of people that have won it multiple times is a veritable galaxy of Formula One stars, past and present: Ayrton Senna, six wins; Graham Hill and Michael Schumacher, five each;…
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Nico Rosberg completed a sweep of Thursday’s two practice sessions for the Monaco Grand Prix. With a little more than an hour remaining in the second 90-minute free practice session, Rosberg dropped in the weekend’s first 1:14 lap with a lap of 1:14.759 around the streets of Monte Carlo. Lewis Hamilton made it a Mercedes…
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AP
Watch coverage of the Monaco Grand Prix throughout the weekend on NBC (Sunday, 7:30 a.m. ET), NBC Sports Network and live streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra. As Thursday’s second free practice session gets going, we look at the compounds Pirelli has brought to Monaco – the two softest compounds of soft (prime) and supersoft…
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F1 flashback: Senna, Trulli Monaco win anniversaries celebrated today
May 23, 2013, 7:00 AM EDT
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Watch coverage of the Monaco Grand Prix throughout the weekend on NBC (Sunday, 7:30 a.m. ET), NBC Sports Network and live streamed on NBC Sports Live Extra. Two historic Monaco Grands Prix occurred on May 23. In 1993, Ayrton Senna took his record sixth and last Monaco victory, while in 2004, Jarno Trulli ended Michael…
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Nico Rosberg has finished quickest in the first practice session for this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, finishing ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and the Lotus of Romain Grosjean. Mercedes are expected to excel around the tight and twisting streets of Monaco, with the W04 car having good one-lap pace. Although this result may come as…
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AP
Dale Jarrett (pictured), Maurice Petty, Tim Flock, Jack Ingram and Fireball Roberts will soon be known as NASCAR Hall of Famers. The five NASCAR legends were voted into the Hall today and will officially be inducted as the Class of 2014 in ceremonies at the Charlotte, N.C.-based Hall next January. The honors for Jarrett and…
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Qualifying for the second race of all IZOD IndyCar Series doubleheaders this season — which includes the Chevrolet Dual in Detroit (the next race on the schedule following this weekend’s Indianapolis 500), Honda Indy Toronto and Shell/Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston — will be split into two groups. Cars will run in one of two…
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Don’t overlook E.J. Viso as a part of Andretti’s all-star arsenal at Indy
May 22, 2013, 5:00 PM EDT
Reuters
At Andretti Autosport, Ryan Hunter-Reay’s the defending IZOD IndyCar Series champion. James Hinchcliffe has won two of the first four races this year. Marco Andretti has the legendary surname and is off to the best start of his IndyCar career. Carlos Munoz has stolen some headlines in his rookie Indianapolis 500 appearance with a front…
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Reuters
Friday’s Freedom 100 for the Firestone Indy Lights (Noon ET, NBC Sports Network) will feature only 11 cars on the starting grid, but there’s still racing’s ultimate form of bragging rights on the line: Victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Headlining the Freedom 100 field is Andretti Autosport’s Carlos Munoz (pictured), who is also on…
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Indianapolis 500 pole sitter Ed Carpenter and his team hosted reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion Antron Brown in his garage today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Brown got to climb into the cockpit of Carpenter’s No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet. “It’s just good times to come hang out and support Ed for…
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AP
Four laps. Ten miles. Seems simple enough. But, of course, there’s no such thing as “simple” at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It’s been said more than once that qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 is decidedly more nerve-wracking than the race itself. It’s an all-out quest for speed and precision that requires the highest levels of…
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49ers coach – and IndyCar team co-owner – Jim Harbaugh to drive Indy 500 pace car
May 22, 2013, 1:30 PM EDT
AP
San Francisco 49ers head coach and Panther Racing co-owner Jim Harbaugh will drive the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray pace car and lead the field of 33 to the green flag at Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. Harbaugh, who led the 49ers to last year’s NFC Championship and an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII, is a founding partner…
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Pagenaud: More comfortable and confident for second Indy 500 start
May 22, 2013, 1:00 PM EDT
Reuters
Rookies get all the attention at Indianapolis. And then they become sophomores, where they’re now wiser fools and more grown up. Simon Pagenaud’s among the crop of second-year drivers at Indy, and the Frenchman’s undoubtedly more comfortable this go-around in the No. 77 HP Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports Honda. For one thing, this race last year…
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What’s it cost to compete in Formula One? An IndyCar comparison
May 22, 2013, 12:30 PM EDT
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Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid cover the business of Formula One. More of their work can be found at FormulaMoney.com. The cars lining up to compete in this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500 may appear the same. However, with even the smallest Formula One teams running on budgets around five times those of…
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Then as now, brushing the barriers is key to being quick in Monaco
May 22, 2013, 12:18 PM EDT
At 2.075 miles long the Monte-Carlo circuit in Monaco is by far the shortest track on the Formula One calendar. But much of its length is bordered on both sides by unyielding barriers. F1 drivers notice a stark difference between it and modern circuits built to the FIA’s exacting standards, with flat curbs and vast…
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Adrian Sutil says Force India’s 2013 car is the best he’s had during his F1 career. “I think so, yes,” said Sutil when asked if the VJM06 was better than the other F1 cars he has driven. “Wherever we have gone so far the car has looked competitive – and that includes some very different…
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Michael Schumacher said thank you to thousands of his fans with a demonstration lap in a Mercedes Formula One car at the Nurburgring Nordschleife. Schumacher toured the track on Sunday ahead of its annual 24-hour race. The 15.769-mile circuit, one of the longest ever used for a Formula One race, held Germany’s round of the…
